14 Tips For Creating Tribute Videos Your Families Will Love

Has creating tribute videos for your families becomes a boring, mundane task? Are you in search of new ways to get creative with your tribute videos?

Well, fear no more!

We’ll show you how to turn average tribute videos into stunning keepsakes that will spark memories, stories and conversations.

But first… if you’re new to Life Tributes or tribute videos in general, check out this tutorial on how to create a tribute video, and then meet us back here!

But, if you’re a tribute video veteran, let’s dive right into these 14 tips on how to create an amazing tribute video for your families:

1) Create a tribute video for a loved one you lost

Until you’ve truly been in the shoes of your families, it can be hard to understand the real value behind what seems like such a small piece of the funeral service. Funeral director Walker Posey at Posey Funeral Directors never realized how valuable tribute videos were until he lost his grandfather and created a tribute video in his honor. Here’s what he gained from his experience:

“I will never forget the impact [the tribute video] had on me and my family as we sat there and cried together [and] laughed together. But I looked at my father’s eyes and saw his tears – and through those tears he said ‘Walker this video has had so much impact on us. Think about the value and impact they will have on the families we serve’.”

By taking Walker’s advice, you’ll get a fresh perspective on every tribute video you create, and maybe even spark some new ideas!

2) Ask questions… lots of them

Instead of just asking your families for photos they’d like to include in their loved one’s tribute video, ask them questions so you can truly capture the story of that person. Try asking questions like:

– What was the happiest moment of their life?
– What are they most proud of?
– What are the most important lessons they learned in life?
– What is your favorite memory with them?
– What were some of their favorite stories or memories?
– Did they have any favorite photos? What specific photos MUST be incorporated in the tribute video?
– How would they want to be remembered?
– What hobbies did the love one have?

3) Go beyond photos

With the new Life Tributes coming out here pretty soon, one feature we’re most excited about is the ability to incorporate video clips into your families’ tribute video. But it doesn’t stop there… what if you could scan in that person’s college diploma, plane tickets, or other memorabilia they’ve kept over the years? Don’t overwhelm and bore your funeral guests with too many images of memorabilia, but it might be worth incorporating them to mix things up a bit.

4) Add impact with motion effects

Motion effects create a powerful sensory impact, but using the same motion effects on every photo can get a little boring. Play around with different effects and speeds to make your tribute video more engaging. Just remember that every motion effect should focus on the loved one – especially when multiple people are in the photo.

5) …Or let the software do it for you

If you’re a Life Tributes user, the software can automatically add “smart motion” to every image. Just right-click on any photo in the timeline and select “Add smart motion to all images.” The program sorts through all of your photos and searches for faces, helping keep the motion focused on people rather than the physical center of the picture. As you apply this smart feature on the photos, just double click on the first photo and you’ll be able to cycle through all of the pictures. It also allows you to edit motion effects individually as you go through the album.

6) Tell a story with pictures

In order to authentically remember the life lived, it helps if you put the pictures the family gives you into chronological order when possible. That way it tells the story of the loved one’s life in a beautiful way, from beginning to end.

Tip: In order to do this, you’ll need to ask the family to put them in chronological order for you. Otherwise, you could spend days doing this on your own!

7) Take advantage of captions

As tempting as it may be to place elaborate captions on every photo, try to keep text captions very minimal. Slowing the movie down to allow for reading time can interfere rather than enhance everyone’s viewing experience. Instead, try placing year references every several photos for a more realistic use of captions.

8) Don’t limit your tribute videos to the funeral service

Your Life Tributes videos are your memorial masterpieces, so why not show them off? If the family agrees to let you, get a flat screen TV in your funeral home (if you don’t already have one) and play a few of your best tribute videos on a loop so families can see what you can do for them. If your families aren’t OK with you playing their loved one’s tribute video, simply make a “sample” video so potential families can still get an idea of the many creative ways you offer to remember their loved one.

9) Tell a story with the cover photo

The cover photo for your Life Tributes video is used twice: once on the DVD menu and again on the DVD jacket cover, so pay special attention it and how it looks on the screen. Pay special attention to the way the photo crops into the square frame, making sure nothing in the background is distracting.

Tip: Because all cover photos automatically crop into a 1:1 aspect ratio to prevent them from stretching, shrinking or distorting, a cover photo may need additional adjustment, even if it looks great anywhere else.

10) Tribute videos aren’t just for funerals

Who ever said you have to use your tribute video software just for funeral services? Not us, that’s for sure. Get creative and use your video software to create videos for birthdays, weddings, community event, graduations, or even anniversaries… the possibilities are endless!

11) Use your tribute video in every aspect of the funeral service

Tribute videos are meant to spark conversations, memories and help family and friends come together to reflect on the loved one’s life. With that said, think about using your tribute video as inspiration to the rest of the service. For example, if you choose a fishing theme for your video, create print materials such as prayer cards and memorial folders that also incorporate that fishing theme. You can use the fishing theme to inspire other personal touches to the service as well!

Additional tips for creating the perfect tribute video:

– Only use 25-30 photos for your tribute video. Although Life Tributes can support unlimited pictures, an audience is less likely to remember or enjoy any more than that. In other words, a LONGER video doesn’t necessarily mean a BETTER one.

– Take control of your copyrights. Use the Copy-Protection feature when burning your DVDs. When families need more copies, help ensure that they’ll come to you instead of burning more themselves.

– Make sure every family member is happy with the amount of times they’re featured in the tribute video to avoid any hard feelings. You can do this by encouraging everyone in the family to give you photos they’d like to have of themselves and the loved one. Or, encourage the family to ask their friends and other family members to contribute any photos they have as well.

– Use your software’s full presentation options, including the DVD case insert and label with matching theme to create a professional looking memorial keepsake.

– Offer the full package. Don’t forget that your tribute software isn’t just for videos. Take full advantage of it and offer a “tribute package” complete with print materials, a tribute book, or even a webcast of the funeral. You can offer the complete package for free, or for as much as $150!

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jill skinner - November 28th, 2016 at 1:26 pm

Looking for a video tribute program. I have used Timeless Tributes for 20 years, they have made changes that I am not happy with. Can you give me some information. I need to do something soon. I want to know if I can use any music with your program, do you have backgrounds, effects ?

Rilee Chastain - November 28th, 2016 at 10:02 pm

Hi Jill!
Thanks for getting in touch. We have a library of custom music for you to use in your tribute videos, as well as the ability to add any music you’d like. We also have multiple intros, scenic video backgrounds and effects. I’ll share your email address with one of our success coaches who can give you a quick demo 🙂